There are a variety of food items which have maximum aesthetic and culinary value when they are not bruised, blemished, or otherwise damaged. Examples of such items include bananas, grapes, and other fruits. Some such items are so delicate that virtually any pressure applied to the surface of the food can cause unsitely marks. The delicate nature of such foods creates a challenge for homeowners, restaurant operators, and food vendors to maintain such items in an attractive and useful condition.
Another challenge faced by many kitchen owners is to find adequate space for all the food items and utensils which are necessary, or desired, to prepare meals. Because of such space constraints, countertop space is often at a premium. Also, an uncluttered countertop provides an attractive, orderly appearance which is very important aesthetically and hygienically in the food preparation art. There are many well known devices which are designed to provide space savings and better organization for kitchen areas. Such devices include, for example, hanging baskets in which vegetables and hard fruits can be placed. Unfortunately, baskets and the like do not solve the problem of bruising delicate foods.
Various hanging devices have been designed to reduce the incidence of bruising of fruits. For example, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 290,558 describes a display stand for fruits which comprises a base to be set on a table or countertop, a curved arm that rises from the base to an elevated height, and a hook attached to the elevated end of the arm, from which the fruit are suspended. In addition to being generally unattractive, the drawbacks of this design include its occupancy of valuable counter space, its cumbersome shape and the difficulty of storing it when it is not in use.
The subject invention provides a space saving device which prevents bruising of delicate food items and offers the additional advantages of being economical and versatile.
The subject invention pertains to a unique and advantageous device for suspending fruit or other such objects to maximally preserve the aesthetic and functional characteristics of the suspended objects. In a specific embodiment of the subject invention, the device of the subject invention can be used to suspend bananas or grapes from kitchen fixtures such as cabinets.
The device of the subject invention will typically comprise three distinct portions. One portion is a fixture attachment means by which the device is attached to an appropriate fixture. A second portion is an object attachment means which enables the device to hold the object which will be suspended. The third portion is a means for connecting the fixture attachment means to the object attachment means.
The fixture attachment means may be, for example, a ring for placement around a knob of a cabinet or over a hook placed on the under side of a cabinet. The object attachment means may be, for example, a rigid bar on which fruit can be hung. The connecting means connects the object attachment means to the fixture attachment means and may be, for example, a piece of cord or string.